


Each Moment

by thegrrrl2002



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Episode Related, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-18
Updated: 2012-01-18
Packaged: 2017-10-29 18:20:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/322773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegrrrl2002/pseuds/thegrrrl2002
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Coda to episode 2.14 "Pu'olo".</p>
            </blockquote>





	Each Moment

"Thank you," Danny says as the waiter arranges the plates on the table--scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausage, buttered toast. "Thank you. There are no words for how happy this all makes me. No words at all."

"Sure." The waiter gives Danny a confused smile, and slides a plate of french toast over to Steve. "More coffee?"

"No, no, I'm good." Danny picks up his fork and digs in as the waiter walks off. "What?" he asks as he notices Steve watching him. "I'm hungry. Giving birth is hard work."

Steve snorts. "Apparently."

He's not sure what to make of this, of Danny's seeming equanimity. Sure, there's a wistfulness about him, but he's not broken up over it, not the way he had been when he first told Steve that the baby wasn't his, all those months ago. Steve supposes Danny could be keeping it all inside, but that's not really Danny's way. He's not even sure Danny is capable of doing so. "You sure you're okay?"

Danny pauses, forkful of pancake halfway to his mouth. "Yeah. I'm okay. I'm not great, I may not even be good, but I'm okay. Rachel's fine, the baby is healthy, and Grace has an adorable little brother." He shrugs. "And who knows, Stan may even turn out to be a good father."

"Not as good as you," Steve can't help saying. Sometimes he wonders how Danny's small frame can contain a heart so big.

"That goes without saying. Now stop looking at me like that and let me eat." Danny pours a frightening amount of maple syrup over his pancakes.

Steve frowns. "How am I looking at you?" he asks, defensive.

Danny dips a forkful of sausage into the syrup, then waves his hand at Steve dismissively, dripping syrup onto the table. "Like that. Please, let me enjoy my breakfast."

Vaguely annoyed, Steve keeps on looking at Danny, deliberate and pointed as he eats his own breakfast. He knows Danny, and he knows Danny's face, and he plans to keep watching Danny's face until he's convinced that Danny truly is okay. But Danny just keeps on eating, pausing only long enough to ask random questions about the case in between mouthfuls of food. Steve assures him that yes, Sang Min is back in jail again, and yes, Joe's forger buddy is out of surgery and is going to make it.

At last, Danny pushes his plates away, leans back and groans.

"Are you done?" Steve asks, eating the last bite of his own breakfast. "Maybe there's something else you'd like, say, maybe a steak or some pie? Or shrimp plate?"

"Believe me, I would like to, being that you are actually picking up the tab. I would order ten more dishes if I could eat them." Danny rubs a hand over his belly and sighs. His eyes are growing sleepy, his voice low and content. "But I don't think I can stay awake long enough. It's nap time."

Steve laughs and motions for the waiter to bring the check. As he pays, he can't help but notice the smug little grin on Danny's face. "Enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Yes, Steve, I am." Danny's beginning to slide down low in his seat, head tilted back against the cushion of the booth as he watches Steve through half-closed eyes.

"Come on, let's get you out of here, before you fall asleep under the table." Steve tucks the money under a water glass and slides out of the booth, Danny following behind.

As Steve steps outside, he blinks at the bright sunlight, momentarily surprised to find that it's daytime. He's tired, too. It had been a long day and an even longer night, with too many emotions being brought to the surface and he can't stop thinking about Joe and his father and all the decisions that they had made. Bad decisions, ones that he had no control over.

Danny's quiet at first in the car, staring out the window as Steve drives. Steve thinks that maybe Danny has fallen asleep, but then Danny turns to him and asks, "So, no idea at all where Joe is going?"

Steve shakes his head. "Nope." His answer is a bit sharper than he intended, and Danny, being Danny, picks up on it immediately.

"He's trying to protect you, Steven."

"Danny, I'm an adult." Steve tightens his grip on the steering wheel. "I don't need protection. What I need are answers. And Joe, Joe's still not telling me everything."

"Maybe he's telling you everything you need to know." Danny's voice is soft and even. "Ever think about that?"

It's the wrong time for Danny to start being reasonable.

"Listen, Joe knows more about Wo Fat than anybody. There's still something more going on, but I don't care, because I'm going to put the guy away anyway. With or without Joe's help. As long as Wo Fat is out there, I'm going to be looking for him."

Danny sits up straighter. "Why are you letting this man take your life away? Isn't it enough that he killed your father?"

"What?"

Danny has it all wrong, Danny doesn't understand how important it is that he catches Wo Fat and either puts him behind bars, or kills him. Steve's pretty sure it's going to take a bullet to take Wo Fat down and he's just fine with that.

"Is this what your father would have wanted?" Danny asks. "For you to spend your entire life chasing after a shadow, instead of actually living? Do you think that's what he died for?"

Anger flares up, swift and sudden. "Danny, you don't know anything about--"

Danny talks louder, overriding him. "Because I'm just saying, as a father, if anything ever happens to me, that is the last thing I would want my daughter to do. I would want her just to be happy. To be able to get on with her life and actually live."

Steve breathes in sharply, jaw clenched. Danny doesn't know what it's like for him, Danny couldn't possibly understand. Except maybe he does. Maybe he can see it from the other side, from the point of view of a man he's never met except in death. The realization brings Steve up short, takes his breath away. And that's when he catches a glimpse of a red light up ahead and steps on the brake pedal, a little too hard. The car jerks to a halt.

Danny slaps a hand on the dashboard to steady himself. "Now, I'm not saying we shouldn't go after Wo Fat, I'm not saying that all. It just shouldn't be everything, Steven. It shouldn't eat away at you until there's nothing left."

He's watching Steve now, watching him like a hawk. "Also, Steve? Gentle, even pressure on the brake. I'm just asking. Unless you want to see that breakfast I just ate all over again."

Steve takes a deep breath, and then another. "It's not the only thing in my life," he finally says, making a point of slowing the car gently as he turns onto his street.

Danny shakes his head, slumping in his seat again, the energy seeming to drain out of him. Then he realizes where they are. "Did you forget that I'm no longer staying with you?"

"I haven't forgotten."

It would be impossible to forget such a thing, that he can no longer turn around and see Danny puttering around his house, or find Danny in his bathroom every time he needed to use it, or to have to wipe the counter clean every time Danny was in his kitchen.

Danny waves a non-committal hand, and is silent as Steve pulls into the driveway. Once they're inside, Danny stands in the living room, arms crossed over his chest, regarding Steve with a single raised eyebrow.

"Come on," Steve says, heading toward the stairs.

Danny doesn't move. "When I said nap time, I meant nap time. As in sleeping. I'm tired, Steve." He looks oddly defeated.

"I'm tired too. I figured we could both sleep. In the same place. Together." Steve starts up the stairs, his steps heavy and labored. After a couple of steps he pauses, glances over his shoulder and waits for Danny.

"That would be new and different." Danny relents, though, unfolding his arms and coming toward the stairs.

It hurts a little, to hear Danny say it but it's true. It's been weeks since they've had time for anything more than quick, stolen moments together. Danny deserves better than that. And it's not that Steve doesn't want more too--he does, but there's just been much else going on. Always another lead to follow, more questions to be answered. Always more questions than answers.

When Steve reaches his room, he busies himself pulling the blinds shut and closing the curtains, making the room as dark as possible. Danny kicks his shoes off and falls onto the bed face-first, then rolls over and watches as Steve empties his pockets and removes his shoes. "Sleeping, huh?"

"Yes, sleeping." Steve's not sure what to make of the expression on Danny's face. "For now, at least."

Danny grins and all at once Steve feels the tension leave his shoulders. He stretches out on the bed beside Danny and kisses him, slow and relaxed, catching the sweetness from the traces of syrup left on Danny's lips. With a quiet hum, Danny curls a hand around the back of Steve's neck and for a while Steve doesn't think about anything at all, other than the feel of Danny's mouth on his, and the warmth of Danny's body pressed up against him.

When Steve finally pulls back, Danny's eyes stay shut. Nosing at Danny's stubbled cheek, Steve rubs his lips over Danny's skin, whispering, "You could be right."

"Course I'm right." Danny's voice is a low rumble.

It's more than Steve wants to think about right now. "Maybe."

"Come here." Danny pushes Steve flat on the bed and drapes himself over Steve's chest, rearranging Steve's arms as he throws a leg over Steve's legs.

"Comfy?" Steve asks, amused.

"I'm good." Danny's slurring his words now, tucking his chin against Steve's shoulder as he yawns. "Noisy, though."

"Me?"

"The waves. Too much noise."

Steve rolls his eyes, then presses his hands over Danny's ears. "Better?"

Danny snorts with laughter, face pressed against Steve's chest. "Much."

Steve runs a hand over Danny's head, messing his ridiculous hair. Danny swats at Steve's hand and misses completely. "Quit it."

Steve grins and breathes out slowly, feeling last of the tension leave his body. Danny's a warm, comfortable weight on his chest, holding him steady and Steve wants to keep this moment, just the two of them, with the sound of the waves drifting in through his window. He and Danny together might not always make sense, but right now it does, with startling clarity.

With a grunt Danny shifts, wrapping an arm more tightly around Steve's waist. He mumbles something nonsensical--Steve thinks it's something about the waves again--then begins to snore lightly. Steve kisses the top of Danny's head, pressing his nose into soft, blond hair, and fights off sleep for as along as he can.


End file.
